


I heard the bells

by literallynoonecares



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben is Moody and Brooding, Ben is a ghost, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cunnilingus, F/M, HEA, Holidays, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Mention of previous relationships, No Pregnancy, Prohibition, Rey Works in Real Estate, The Spirit of Christmas AU, Vaginal Sex, background Obi-Wan/Satine, two time periods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27761857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literallynoonecares/pseuds/literallynoonecares
Summary: “He is alive, just not in the traditional sense,” Obi-Wan muses.“I wonder what he was like when he was really alive. Was he just as brooding and stubborn?” Rey wonders.“Rey, it seems like you’re pretty stubborn too.”Ben Solo passed away under mysterious circumstances in 1920. Every year, he becomes alive for twelve days around Christmas. After the caretaker of his old family inn dies and goes up for sale, it’s clear that a real estate agent named Rey will turn his short life upside down for good.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 17
Kudos: 78
Collections: Reylo Christmas Hallmark AU Collection





	I heard the bells

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is a spirit of christmas AU if you have seen that hallmark christmas movie with the hot ghost lol. there's a few flashbacks and they are notated with section breaks. enjoy!

****

  
**Skywalker Inn**

**1920**

Ben Solo drags his feet through the snow as he makes his way back to his family’s inn. He’s almost too late -- he had promised his fiancée, Baz, he would return from Canada on Christmas Eve. He checks his watch -- 11:30 P.M. He had barely made it. 

He pauses at the driveway. He sees Baz talk too closely with his best friend Poe. His oldest friend -- his closest thing to family. Ben feels frozen, stuck in time and unable to move. He’s betrayed as hell and can’t figure out what to do. Before he can even think, someone knocks him on the head with a rock and he collapses, his body limp in the snow. 

🎄🎄🎄

**Boston, MA**   
**Present Day**

Rey Niima zones out at dinner as her boyfriend Snap speaks. It all goes in one ear and out the other until he starts discussing their relationship and Rey takes a large sip of wine as she panics. She can’t marry him. And then his tone shifts a bit. 

He begins to say he doesn’t feel like she makes their relationship a priority and she realizes that he may be breaking up with her after all. She snaps to attention and sets down the wine glass. 

“Are you breaking up with me?” Rey asks. 

“Yes,” Snap says shakily. 

“Oh, thank God,” Rey replies, slumping in her chair. “I thought you were proposing.”

“God, no. Rey, you barely pay attention to me. You’re never really here. All you think about is work.”

“You’re not wrong, Snap. I’m fine with this. I promise. You’re not the first man to have called me cold and unloving,” she says matter of factly. Snap’s jaw slacks. 

“Are you going to eat that?” Rey asks, gesturing to his leftover food. 

“No,” he states. 

She slides his plate closer to him and finishes his food without another word. 

The next day Rey walks into work feeling lighter and more set to work than ever before. She knows there’s an opening for Senior Associate and if there’s one thing she’s certain of it’s that she’ll get that promotion. 

“Rey. My office. Five minutes,” Plutt barks as she sets down her bag in her office. 

“Okay,” she replies. She takes stock of his tone -- it’s no more gruff than usual, so there’s no real reason for her to be nervous. But she is. 

She softly knocks on his door before she’s interrupted with a curt, “come in.”

“Maz Kanata has finally died.”

“The Skywalker estate?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” Rey doesn’t know what else to say. 

“I leave for vacation tomorrow. I’m not cancelling it. I need to be on a beach,” Plutt tells her. Rey hides her grimace at the thought of her boss shirtless on a beach. 

“I know,” she replies. 

“There’s one big asset to deal with. You’ll have to take point on this, Rey. It’s the Skywalker Inn. A few hours outside the city. No heirs left and it’s in a trust. They want it sold before year end for tax purposes.”

“I can handle it.”

“There’s a Senior Associate position with your name on it if you can get this done.”

“I’ll do it,” Rey confirms, standing up even more straight than before. 

“There’s an appraiser that will be there tomorrow. You’ll need to meet him there. He’s the third one. The first two quit because it’s haunted,” Plutt says with a laugh. 

“Haunted?”

“Yeah,” he tosses her newspaper clippings. She studies them and sniffles laughter. 

“I’ll be there. I’m not scared of ghosts.”

“Just what I like to hear in a Senior Associate.”

Rey flashes a genuine smile before leaving his office and getting to work. 

🎄🎄🎄  
 **Skywalker Inn**

Rey’s grateful for her car’s four wheel drive as she treks through the snowy streets to Skywalker Inn. She parks the car and the front of the house, the long driveway behind her. She notices the appraiser rush out of the house, a terrified look on his face. 

She waves him down but her scurries into his car and peels out before she can say anything. 

She sighs and jumps out of the car. She carefully walks up the steps to the porch, afraid of falling on the ice. The appraiser left the door ajar. Rey walks in. She presses gently on the door. A chill falls over her and she shivers. It’s unnerving the way she feels walking into this inn.

Rey’s never been one for ghost stories but when you see a grown person run out of a house looking scared for their life, you get a little anxious. 

“Hello?” Rey calls. Nothing. 

She explores the living room. There’s photos on the mantle of the Skywalker family and her eyes catch one photo -- a handsome man with eyes that look like they’re digging deep into her soul. She drags her finger along the mantle and is pleasantly surprised there isn’t a lot of dust. 

“Hello,” a man’s voice startles her. 

Rey turns and faces the man. He’s older and wears a sweater and a jacket.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you,” he says. 

“It’s okay.”

“I take it you’re from Plutt and Associates.”

“Yes. Rey Niima,” she shakes his hand. 

“Pleasure to meet you. Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m the manager of the inn.”

“What happened? Why did the appraiser leave?” Rey inquires. 

“I was upstairs. I didn’t hear him go. It was probably the ghost,” Obi-Wan states. 

“What?”

“He won’t harm you. Every once in a while he just likes to assert himself.”

“You think the ghost is real?”

Obi-Wan laughs. 

“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?” Obi-Wan asks. 

“Is this not an inn?”

“I’m closing the inn today. Like I do every year. We close on December Thirteenth every year.”

“Can’t you just keep it open one more night?”

“I can’t.”

“Well, I have the keys. I’ll stay here alone.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Obi-Wan says almost coyly. 

“Oh I will.”

Rey waves goodbye to Obi-Wan and drags her suitcase up the porch and up the stairs. 

She makes herself a pot of tea and ensures the alarm is set before she traipses up to bed. 

She wakes up in the middle of the night with a start, convinced she heard noises from downstairs. 

“Get a grip, Niima. You set the alarm,” she tells herself.

The door to the bedroom swings open and she hears footsteps downstairs. She couldn’t have made that up, she thinks. She slowly walks down the stairs and steadily makes her way down the hallway, her cell phone light illuminating her way.

From behind her she hears a brusque voice call out to her almost commandingly. 

She turns to face the intruder but knocks into the bookcase. She catches a glimpse of him -- tall, well-dressed, and handsome. She doesn’t have time to respond before a vase from the top shelf topples over onto her head, knocking her out. 

He sighs and lifts her in a bridal carry. He deposits her on the couch and drapes a blanket over her, tucking her in. 

Rey wakes up to loud piano music floating through the inn. She rubs her temple and tries to ignore the pain in the back of her head. She moves to the sitting room and sees the man from last night playing piano. 

He wears slacks and a dress shirt with a vest and tie. His hair is coiffed meticulously. She can’t stop staring.

“Who are you?” Rey asks. 

“How’s your head?” he asks instead. 

“I think it’s okay.”

He takes his hands off the keys and twists his torso she can see his face. 

She reminds herself that she didn’t dream this and she should _probably_ be much more concerned about the handsome stranger in front of her than she is. 

“Who are you?”

He chuckles. 

“You don’t look worse off. Which means you should leave. At once,” he says curtly. 

“What?”

“Leave.”

“I’m not leaving. You’re the trespasser,” she crosses her arms and furrows her brow.

“A man cannot trespass on his own property.”

“What?” Rey’s dumbfounded. 

Instead of replying, the man throws her over his shoulder and carries her outside. He locks the door. Rey lets out a frustrated cry and realizes all she’s wearing is a hoodie and it’s snowing outside. 

Great. 

The door opens again and before she can step inside he tosses her a blanket and locks it again.

She’s grateful she at least has her cell phone and calls the sheriff who comes to unlock the house. 

“There was a man who locked me out. Can you make sure he’s not still in there?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

She waits as the sheriff inspects the inn. 

“There’s no one here. He probably ran out the back when he saw me. A drifter or something.”

“He was too handsome to be a drifter,” she says before she can stop herself. 

“Well, there’s no one here now. Just set the alarm and you’ll be fine.”

“I _did_ set the alarm,” Rey insists. 

“If you need anything else please call,” he says before leaving. 

She sighs and makes herself food before attempting to find a new appraiser. 

She’s unsuccessful and hunkers down for another night in the inn. She triple checks the locks and the alarm system. When she walks upstairs, the man stands in her room. 

He has a ring of keys he holds out to her. 

“This is my inn. I have all the keys. I have no wish to harm you. I just want my solitude which requires your departure.”

“What the hell is going on?” Rey asks. 

“I want to be alone. Leave.”

Rey rushes down the stairs and calls the sheriff. He sends a deputy who checks the building and finds no one. He’s dismissive of her concerns and asks if it’s the ghost. 

“No. He’s real. I can _see_ him.”

“Well, call us if he comes back.”

As if on cue, he appears a few minutes after the deputy leaves. 

“Jesus,” Rey says, “you scared me.”

“You need to leave.”

“Who are you? Is this all in my head? Are you real?” Rey questions.

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re real.”

“Ah, but what is real?” He breaks out into a mysterious smile and Rey finds herself more frustrated than ever. 

He walks over closer to her and points to a newspaper clipping that’s framed on the wall.

There’s a picture of one of the owners of the inn from the 1920s and it looks exactly like the man standing in front of her. 

“Are you related to him?”

“I am him.”

“You’re Ben Solo?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I definitely hit my head.”

“You did hit your head, but that doesn’t mean you’re making me up.”

“You cannot be the man in the newspaper there’s no way--“ she trails off as she hears a car pull up. Obi-Wan walks up the porch and looks taken aback as his eyes move between Rey and Ben. 

“Obi-Wan! Have you heard from any appraisers? I really need to get this appraised as soon as possible.”

He sets his things down in the living room and Rey and Ben follow him.

“I’ve been trying. It’s hard around the holidays.”

“I need to get this done before year end. They want it sold before year end. I have a promotion riding on this,” Rey says. 

Ben slams his fist on the table.

“You cannot sell the inn,” he fumes.

“Ben,” Obi-Wan tries to calm him down. 

“He’s not a ghost, is he?” Rey asks Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan and Ben exchange a glance. Ben shrugs. 

“He’s not a ghost. You can’t touch ghosts. And I can touch him.”

Rey grabs his forearm and holds onto it. It’s a solid moment before she lets go.

“So we’re telling her then?”

“Might as well. She doesn’t seem like she’s leaving,” Ben rolls his eyes.

“I’m not.”

“At the moment, no. Ben is not a ghost. Every year on December 13 he becomes real again. When the clock strikes twelve on December 24, he will be a ghost again.”

“That sounds like a curse.”

“It does,” Ben affirms. 

“I think I have a brain injury. There’s no way any of this is real.”

“I’ll prove it to you,” Ben says and extends his hand to her. 

She gives him her hand and he leads her to the edge of the property. She’s shivering and has no idea what’s happening. 

He takes a step off the property and disappears into thin air. Rey’s bewildered. She jogs back inside and he’s waiting for her, sitting on the staircase. 

“Okay. So you’re a ghost.”

“And you cannot sell the inn.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

He pushes past her and disappears into the kitchen. When he emerges, she realizes he’s made a grilled cheese for himself. She talks to Obi-Wan at the door, within ear shot of Ben.

“He sure does eat a lot for a ghost. And a grilled cheese? I didn’t know that was popular in 1920.”

“I can hear you. And I want you to leave.”

“He doesn’t seem very chatty,” Rey comments. 

“Not when my solitude is interrupted by someone trying to sell my inn,” Ben deadpans. 

“Is he always this cranky when he comes back?” Rey asks.

Obi-Wan laughs. 

“I rarely see him, except for the first few times I met him. I like to give him his space. I’ll be back in the morning. I have a few things to take care of in town.”

“Goodbye, Obi-Wan. Take her with you,” Ben suggests. 

Obi-Wan laughs again.

Rey sits across from Ben at the table. 

“So,” she says.

He offers a grunt as he continues to eat. 

“I want to help you. There’s too many rules for this curse to be random.”

“I don’t want your help. I don’t want to waste my time.”

“Don’t you want to move on?”

“More than you know. But I only get twelve days and I’m not going to waste them. Trust me, I’ve tried to figure it out many times.”

“How did you die?” Rey asks before she can consider if it’s a rude question or not. 

“I don’t remember,” he says flatly. 

_Okay, so maybe it was rude_ , she thinks to herself. 

“What were you doing before that?”

“Have you heard of the Volstead Act?”

“Prohibition?” Rey clarifies.

“Yes.”

“Tell me,” Rey asks, softer than she had been. 

🎄🎄🎄  
 **1920**

“Poe, we have to figure out what to do with the inn. We can’t keep it up like this. We’ll be bankrupt before we know it,” Ben says. 

“Your parents left it to us to take care of. We can’t close. And the Christmas Eve dance is still a few months away,” Poe reminds him.

“Between the economy and influenza I’m surprised anyone ventures out at all. We can barely afford anything, Poe.”

“I know. We’ll figure it out. Hux said he wanted to talk to you, anyway. He’s inside.”

“Okay,” Ben makes his way into the house and through the small crowds of people. He catches the eye of a beautiful woman talking to the older tailor in town. Ben asks to cut in and the old man walks away with his head down. 

“Aren’t you quick on your feet?”

“Only when there’s a lady in distress.”

“I’m Bazine,” she says.

“Ben.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

“I have to meet a friend about a business concern, but save a dance for me?” Ben asks, kissing her hand. 

“Of course.”

“Ben!” Hux calls to him.

“Excuse me,” Ben murmurs to Bazine. 

“Here’s the deal. Canada. Two weeks. Snoke has guaranteed we can make a thousand each.”

“Hux, I don’t if we should do this.”

“How else are you going to keep the inn afloat? And how else are you going to woo that girl?”

**three weeks before Christmas, 1920**

“Ben, please don’t go. I love you and I want you here. Whatever you’re doing it can wait,” Baz begs Ben. 

“I don’t have a choice, Baz.”

“Yes you do,” she insists. 

“I’ll be home on Christmas Eve. I promise.” Ben kisses her goodbye and gathers his suitcase. 

Poe meets him on the porch. 

“You really shouldn’t go, Ben. It’s illegal. You’re a _bootlegger_.”

“We don’t have a choice, Poe. You know this and I know this. And is it all just because you’re jealous of me and Baz?”

“I’m not jealous,” Poe defends. 

“You’ve been jealous since I met her. You were even more jealous when she agreed to marry me.”

“Ben,” Poe starts. 

“At least if I die in Canada you’ll have her,” Ben says abruptly. 

**🎄🎄🎄**   
**Present Day**

Rey listens to Ben tell his story. He seems like he’s lost in the daydream, dissociating from their current world until he shakes his head and trails off. 

“So you went to Canada,” Rey says.

“I did.”

“Okay, what happened there?”

“Can we stop? I...I don’t want to relive this right now. We’ll continue. Just not tonight. A promise is a promise,” his eyes are bleak and weary. He’s less angry than he’s been. Rey doesn’t want to push him anymore.

“Okay. Where are you sleeping tonight?”

“I don’t sleep,” he states. 

“Well, don’t come into my room.”

“I won’t.”

“You already did.”

“I would not now that I know you.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have a husband?”

Rey’s caught off guard by the question.

“No,” she stammers.

“Boyfriend, then?”

“No. And don’t start about me being an old maid. Things are different now,” she says hotly.

“People don’t fall in love?” Ben asks sincerely.

“Some do. I don’t. Good night, Ben.”

She hears him say good night as she ascends the stairs. 

She tries to ignore the vague whispers of voices she hears as she falls asleep.

In the morning, she washes her face and notices the bathroom door open and the lights flicker as she gets ready. 

“Ben,” she groans. 

She stomps into his room and tries to keep her cool when she notices he’s shirtless. He has defined abs -- _who knew ghosts could have muscle definition?_ she thinks to herself -- and somehow looks even more handsome. She averts her eyes and sees a picture of a woman who she assumes is Bazine. 

“Is that...?” Rey asks. 

“My room is off limits, Rey.”

“So is mine. So knock it off,” she says fiercely. 

“What?”

A knock on the door interrupts them and they head downstairs.

Obi-Wan answers the door and Rey wonders when he got here. 

“Satine,” Obi-Wan greets her. 

“Hi Obi-Wan,” she hugs him. 

“What brings you to Skywalker Inn?”

“I have a favor to ask,” Satine says. 

“What do you need?” Obi-Wan asks eagerly.

“The pub has flooded. It’s not too bad, but the damage is extensive and we can’t get anyone out here to fix anything before Christmas Eve,” she says. 

“Oh no,” Obi-Wan says empathetically. 

“I know you usually close the inn around Christmas. But could we have the Christmas Eve dance here?”

“No,” Ben interrupts from the next room. He walks to the foyer and says no again. 

“Oh, sorry. Who is this?” Satine asks. 

“I’m--“ Ben starts. 

“Kylo,” Rey supplies, “a cousin of Maz Kanata.”

“I’m sorry for you loss, Kylo.”

“Thank you,” he says gruffly after Rey jabs him. 

“We really don’t want to cancel the dance. It would be the first time in over 150 years it doesn’t happen. It would mean a lot if we could have it here. This is its original location, after all,” Satine says.

“Our staff is all out for the holidays, we have no way of hosting it,” Obi-Wan informs her. 

“I have a great staff. My bartenders are the best.”

“The only person I trust as a bartender is myself,” Ben says. 

“Well, Kylo. I don’t know about all that,” Satine chuckles. 

“Come over tonight. Bring people. I’ll bartend,” he says. 

Rey looks shocked. 

“Okay. We’ll be there. Does this mean we can use the inn?”

“We’ll see.”

“I’ll be back later tonight then. It was good to see you, Obi-Wan,” Satine flashes him a smile as she leaves. 

“Let’s check out the bar,” Ben says, walking to the ballroom. 

He pulls out the liquor and mixers and sighs. 

“This bar is in deplorable conditions. I would have never let it get like this,” he complains. 

Rey grabs a piece of paper and a pen. 

“What are you doing?” Ben asks. 

“If you’re going to do this, you’re going to do it right. A shopping list.”

He smiles at her and begins to rattle off his necessary items. 

🎄🎄🎄

Rey and Obi-Wan decorate the ballroom and bar area almost bare bones, but it’s something. When Satine arrives, Rey lets Ben bartend and make small talk. He’s not as bad at it as Rey had worried. In fact, there was something sexy about it. He even seemed to be doing a decent job as a wing man for Obi-Wan, who couldn’t stop making eyes at Satine.

She’s listening to Ben explain how to properly make a Negroni when Plutt calls her. She excuses herself to the other room. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Plutt asks. 

“I’m at the Skywalker inn,” she says. 

“It sounds like you’re at a party. What the hell are you doing?” Plutt asks again. 

“There’s just people at the inn.”

“You’re taking way too long. Get the property appraised and get back to Boston or you can kiss Senior Associate goodbye,” he says sternly. 

“Okay,” she replies meekly, hanging up the call before he can say anything else. 

When Rey gets back, Satine is considerably more drunk and Ben’s laughing at her. 

“You know, I’ve always found this inn to be the most interesting place in town. Ghosts, gossip, scandalous marriages and the like,” Satine says. 

“What do you mean?” Rey asks. 

“Well, one of the owners of the inn in the 20s, whose parents owned it -- they left it to him and his childhood best friend. Rumors were his parents didn’t trust him on his own. Anyway, he was a bootlegger. And the fiancée didn’t know. She was furious when his friend told her, I guess.”

Rey’s silent. Ben looks like he could kill someone. 

“He comes back from Canada one trip and mysteriously dies. And then his childhood best friend marries his fiancée one month later. And then the girl tragically died a little after that.”

“Wow. How awful,” Rey says. 

Ben’s fist is tight around a hand towel. He throws it on the ground and storms off. 

“Excuse us,” Rey tells Satine and races after Ben. 

“Ben,” she calls to him. 

“Don’t follow me, Rey,” he growls. 

“I know she was talking about--“

“--No, Rey. Stop. It’s not some story to gossip about. It’s my _life._ And I didn’t know about her and Poe. I didn’t know about her dying. It’s not just a story,” he says and she can tell he’s choking back tears while angry.

“We were trying to find out more information and we _did_. This is a good thing,” Rey insists, getting hotheaded herself.

“You don’t get it, Rey. It’s not fun for me to do this. It’s not a fun mystery. Just drop it, okay? I just found out Baz knew what I was doing and that I lied to her and she married my best friend. Stop,” he snarls.

“You shouldn’t have lied to her,” Rey asserts. 

“Rey,” he says again, more threateningly. 

“Maybe she killed you. It happens all the time. A woman scorned and all,” she says and she regrets it the minute it comes out of her mouth. 

“You’ve stepped over a boundary, Rey,” his voice is quiet and firm.

Rey knows she should apologize. She should tell him she didn’t mean it and she’s sure Baz didn’t kill him. Instead, she digs her heels in further. 

“Well, at least I’m not the one who lied to my fiancée.”

He steps forward and gets in her face. 

“I want you gone tomorrow.”

He storms off without another word. 

The party dissipates and Obi-Wan and Rey are all that’s left. 

Rey cracks open a beer and chugs. 

“I messed up.” She takes another drink. “I haven’t been thinking about this as someone’s actual life. I didn’t really think of him as alive ever.”

“He is alive, just not in the traditional sense,” Obi-Wan muses.

“I wonder what he was like when he was _really_ alive. Was he just as brooding and stubborn?” Rey wonders. 

“Rey, it seems like you’re pretty stubborn too.”

“Hey!”

“You wouldn’t leave the inn. You’re persistent about the appraiser.”

“My promotion is on the line.”

“And I think you’re jealous of Bazine. Even though she’s dead. And Ben’s talked to you more than any person I’ve seen in over two decades.”

“I’m not jealous,” Rey says defensively. Obi-Wan quirks an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. He told me to leave. I always do this. I always self-sabotage.”

“Rey, it’s been quite a while since Ben has had the pleasure of a fight with a beautiful woman. Don’t give up on him.”

“I’m going to bed, Obi-Wan. I’ll leave in the morning.”

“I hope you don’t.”

Ben walks back into the inn when he’s certain everyone’s gone and Rey’s asleep. He sits down at the piano and swears he sees Baz for a moment. He nearly jumps out of his skin and tries to find her, but the hallway is empty. 

🎄🎄🎄

Rey decides she’s going to ignore Ben’s request for the most part. She promised she’d help him and she has an apology to make. Instead, she leaves the inn to buy a Christmas tree. When she arrives back at the inn with the tree secured on the top of her car, she pointedly declines calls from Plutt. 

She calls for Ben once she gets in the house, but there’s no answer. 

She heads upstairs and when she enters her bedroom the door slams shut and locks her in. 

“Ben!” Rey cries out. 

“Let me out!”

The lights flicker and the ceiling fan swings back and forth. She tries to open the windows but they’re locked too. 

“Ben, this isn’t funny!”

She hears a distinct voice tell her to go away and she cries again. 

The door busts open and Ben rushes in, panic on his face. 

“Rey?” He runs toward her, trying to hug her. 

“Get away from me. Why did you do that?” Rey slams her fist against his chest, tears streaming down her face. 

“I didn’t do that, Rey. I swear to God.”

“Then who did?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve begun to believe I’m not the only ghost here.”

“I’m scared,” Rey admits. 

“I’ll keep you safe,” he swears to her. 

Ben hugs her tight, one hand around her waist and the other cradles her head. He pulls her head back and wipes away tears. 

“Come on, Rey. Let’s go downstairs,” he says to her soothingly. 

“I don’t want to be in this house,” she says through sobs. 

He nods and leads her outside. They walk a few steps away from the porch before he takes her hand. 

“I know I told you to leave but I think you should stay,” he says quietly. 

“Are you sure?”

“You’re just so damn tenacious, Rey. And you have no filter. I don’t know what to do with you,” he says with a smile. 

“I crossed a line last night. I’m sorry. I should have thought about how you would have felt. I’m really sorry, Ben.”

“I accept your apology, Rey,” he says and squeezes her hand. 

“Did you get a tree?” Ben asks, using his free hand to point to her car. 

“I did,” she smiles up at him.

“Then let’s set it up.” 

Rey watches in awe as he carries the tree in by himself. 

He gets the ornaments and lights out of storage and they get to work. 

There’s something so intimate about this, Rey thinks. Stepping over each other and handing each other strings of lights. It’s so small and unassuming. Yet her heart feels like it’s beating out of her chest and she finds herself wanting to hold his hand again and to feel more of his body. 

Instead, she makes a feeble attempt at small talk. 

“What’s it like when you’re not like this?” Rey asks. 

“It’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” Ben answers honestly. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“Why twelve days? Why Christmas?”

“I don’t know.”

“I wish we could figure it out.”

“You know, I don’t know if I’ve had an actual Christmas in one hundred years.”

“Christmas was always my mom’s favorite. It’s just been me for too long. And I usually work.”

“All alone?”

“Yes,” she says, her fingertips brush against his as they hang an ornament too close together. 

“Then the men of your time must be foolish,” Ben states. 

Rey pauses and her hand falls from the tree. 

“Tell me what you want to say, Rey. I’ve been more than forthcoming with you even when I didn’t want to be,” he reminds her gently. 

“It’s not them. It’s me. I want to be in love theoretically, but I don’t think I know how. I never learned how, I guess,” Rey says, her voice shaky and quiet. 

“Love isn’t a trait to be learned. You have a capacity for love, I know you do. You wouldn’t be trying to help me if you didn’t.”

Rey can’t stand the sincerity and the kindness. She blinks away tears. 

“Hang the angel on the tree, Ben,” she requests softly. 

He hangs it and she looks up at him with wide eyes. 

“If nothing changes, Ben. If we can’t figure it out. I’ll always make sure you have a tree for Christmas,” Rey says. 

He leans down and kisses her. It’s softer than she’s used to. He’s sweet and caring and cradles her head in his hands with a delicacy that makes Rey’s heart flutter. 

He breaks the kiss and plants a small kiss on her forehead. 

“I should stay in your room tonight. To make sure you’re safe since there’s a second ghost,” Ben says. 

“You don’t have to.”

“I insist. It’s for your safety.”

“Nothing _too_ scary has happened.”

Ben gives her a skeptical look.

“Regardless of the blatant lie you just told, circumstances have changed.”

“Ben,” she replies, a little out of breath. 

He leads her up the stairs and he positions a chair by the bathroom. 

“I’ll stay in the chair,” he says. 

“Don’t you not sleep?” Rey asks.

He angles the chair away from her. 

“Better?”

“You don’t have to stay.”

“Get ready for bed, Rey.”

She wants to ignore his command but she does it anyway. She crawls under the covers and he turns out the lights. 

“I’m sorry the trust wants to sell the inn,” she says. 

“Could you buy it?” Ben asks from the chair facing away from her. 

“I wish I could.”

“I wish I could too.”

Silence falls over them. Rey sighs. 

“Ben, come here,” Rey asks. 

She peels back the covers and he walks over slowly. 

He looms over her.

“Get in bed, Ben,” she orders. 

He takes off his vest and unbuttons his shirt slowly. It drops to the floor and Rey reaches for his belt buckle and unbuttons his pants. He leaves his underwear on.

“Rey,” he says her name low and dark as he climbs under the covers. She climbs over so she’s on top of him. 

She kisses him and traces her hands over his chest, caressing every inch of him. He lifts off her shirt and unclasps her bra, drawing circles on her back scratching her lightly. 

She kisses down his neck and he moans and writhes under her touch. He flips her over with ease and pins down her arms as he lays sloppy kisses on her chest and breasts. 

He licks one of her nipples in languid circles and she arches her back into him. 

“Do you like that, sweetheart?” Ben rasps. 

“Yes,” Rey manages to say. “More, please.”

“I like hearing you beg,” he says as he moves down her stomach, pulling down her underwear. He spreads open her legs and his finger tips brush against her cunt. She moans and begs for more. 

“You want more, sweetheart?” Ben goads, his voice reverberating against her cunt. Rey whines. 

“I guess patience isn’t something they teach in 2020,” he chides. 

“Please,” she whines again.

His tongue is on her clit then, circling and making her cunt throb. He slips two fingers inside her and curls them, making her gasp and whine for more. 

“Come for me,” he tells her. She obeys as he continues his ministrations, reaching her peak quicker than she ever has before. She comes as her vision whines out and she moans his name over and over. 

_Ben, Ben, Ben..._

She thrashes around as he holds her down. 

Ben thinks this is his resurrection.

“I want you inside me,” Rey pants as she comes down from her high.

Ben wastes no time taking off his underwear letting his cock spring free. 

“Do you have a--“ Rey stops herself and breaks into a fit of giggles. 

“What?” Ben asks, concerned. 

“I was just about to ask a ghost if he had a condom. It’s just so ridiculous,” she replies through laughter. 

“Jesus, you had me scared,” Ben runs his hands through his hair, relieved. 

“No, no...you’re great, Ben. I want you to fuck me,” she says. 

“Okay,” he says, kissing her. He guides himself to her entrance and slides inside her with a shallow thrust. She gasps as she adjusts to the feel of him. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he groans. 

Ben quickens the pace of his thrusts and kisses her neck as he fucks her and runs his hands through her hair, pulling lightly. She gasps and moans as he adjusts her legs over his shoulder to hit the deepest parts of her. 

“I want you to come, Ben.”

“Fuck, Rey.”

“Come for me,” she tells him. 

"Do you like this Rey?" Ben whispers in her ear. 

"I really fucking do, Ben."

His thrusts become more erratic and he finishes inside her, collapsing next to her. They breathe heavily and in sync together and he twirls her fingers between his, kissing them. 

He jumps out of bed and gets a towel from the bathroom and gently cleans between her thighs before she gets up to go to the bathroom. 

When she comes back, he holds her tight and Rey’s never felt safer. 

Rey sleeps soundly and Ben struggles to relax. He begins to hear voices and he decides he has to check out the downstairs. He tucks Rey in, securing the blankets tight around her. He tiptoes down the stairs and sees Baz’s ghost again. He chases after her but she disappears before he can say anything. 

He returns to Rey’s bedroom and watches out the window for Baz’s ghost to reappear. 

Rey wakes up and worries for a moment because the bed feels so light, but then she catches Ben looking out the window. 

“How did you not sleep?” Rey asks, her voice hoarse and tired. 

“Uneventfully,” he replies and leans over and kisses her. 

“I was worried you wouldn’t be good in bed because you’re from the twenties. And dead,” Rey teases. 

“You thought a bootlegger from Boston would be bad in bed?”

“Listen,” she laughs. 

“Glad I proved you wrong,” he says, kissing her again.

“Me too,” she muses. 

“Rey? Ben?” Obi-Wan calls to them. 

“I guess we should get up,” Rey sighs.

“Coming,” Ben yells. 

“I wish we were,” Rey jokes as she rolls out of bed.

“Later,” Ben promises. 

🎄🎄🎄

Ben flips pancakes as Rey updates Obi-Wan on the two ghost situation.

“So this is what we know for sure. There are two ghosts. One unidentified. One making pancakes. There’s a good chance the one making pancakes was murdered.”

“Still holding out for a tragic fall.”

“I don’t think you’re that lucky,” Obi-Wan says. 

“Ben, was there anyone who might have wanted you dead?” Rey questions. 

“I guess there was, now that I think about it.”

“Who?”

“Snoke, the guy I used to run liquor for...” Ben trails off. He stares off into the distance, lost in a memory. Rey gives him a moment until she calls him back to the present. 

“Ben?”

“I was hit from behind. That’s what happened. I don’t know why I just now thought of it.”

“Okay, so definitely likely it was Snoke or someone he sent. Did you stop running for him or something?”

“I quit. I said it was my last run. I was gone for too long.”

“How long were you gone?” Rey asks. 

“Less than two weeks,” Ben replies.

“Twelve days?” Rey asserts. 

“Twelve days,” Ben confirms. 

“Well, that’s got to mean something,” Obi-Wan interjects. 

“Hold on, Plutt is calling,” Rey says as she steps out of the room to answer the call. 

“You need to come back today,” Plutt commands, abandoning all sense of pretense and niceties. 

“I still haven’t gotten it appraised. There’s no one available yet,” Rey counters. 

“You’ve already failed there. Senator Antilles died yesterday. We have a lot of work to do. I expect you in the office in the morning.”

“But--“

“No, Rey. No arguments. You’ll be here tomorrow or you don’t have a job.”

“Fine,” she acquiesces. 

She hangs up the phone and suppresses a scream. 

She walks back into the kitchen with her head hung low. 

“What’s wrong?” Ben asks. 

“I have to go back to Boston. Today,” she replies. 

“Oh,” Ben says. 

“What about the inn?” Obi-Wan asks. 

“A senator died. I don’t know what will happen with this. Plutt was not happy I haven’t gotten it appraised. I think I fucked myself over for my promotion.”

“I’m sorry, Rey,” Ben sympathizes. “Do you want chocolate chips on your pancakes?” 

“Yes,” she replies. Her eyes light up and she nods enthusiastically. 

“Okay,” he smiles and she’s mollified briefly. 

“I told Satine I’d meet her at the pub at nine. I’ll be back later,” Obi-Wan announces. “Rey, walk me out.”

“Okay,” Rey says. 

On the porch Obi-Wan hugs her. 

“I hope you’ll be back, Rey.”

“I do too. I will be. I feel terrible I never figured out what happened to Ben.”

“You’ll figure it out when you return. That’s been my hope since you first ignored my warnings to leave,” he chuckles. 

“Thank you, Obi-Wan. Go have fun with Satine,” Rey says. 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, I think you know,” Rey teases. 

Rey returns to the kitchen and eats her pancakes with Ben by her side. She takes too long to pack, wanting to stretch every moment she spends with Ben. 

When she can’t procrastinate any longer, he escorts her to her car. 

He loads in her suitcase and then hands her something. It’s a gold chain with gold dice. 

“My father’s good luck charm. That way you won’t forget me,” he says timidly. 

“Impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible. I’m proof.”

She kisses him and when he breaks the kiss she feels tears prick her eyes. 

“Goodbye, Ben.”

“I’ll see you later, Rey. This isn’t goodbye.”

Rey forces herself not to cry until she returns to her apartment in Boston and then she lets the tears fall freely.

**🎄🎄🎄**   
**Skywalker Inn**

Ben and Obi-Wan drink at the dining room table. 

“Tell Satine she can have the dance here. I’m getting it appraised tomorrow, too. I borrowed your communication device,” Ben tells him. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.”

“I don’t think Satine would have taken no for an answer, anyway. It’s a tradition that means a lot to her and there’s nowhere else to hold it. And she tends to get her way. Especially with me,” Obi-Wan says. 

“The modern woman’s approach to courtship leaves me both confused and deeply envious,” Ben replies. 

“Ha. I understand,” Obi-Wan agrees.

“You and Satine both clearly like each other. Why are you doing nothing?” Ben inquires. 

“If I ask her out and we like each other, then what?”

“You know what, Obi-Wan,” Ben quirks an eyebrow. 

“And what about Rey?” Obi-Wan deflects. 

“What woman would want a man in my situation?” Ben ponders. 

“Rey,” Obi-Wan replies as if it’s obvious. 

“Rey is a remarkable woman.” Ben finishes his drink. “If my circumstances were different, maybe. But I can’t do that to her. It would be unfair. Plus we don’t even know if she’ll come back.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Ben. She’s head over heels for you. She will.”

“God willing,” Ben says as he pours more whiskey in his glass. 

**🎄🎄🎄**   
**Boston, Two Days Later**

“What the hell were you doing at Skywalker Inn for that long getting nothing done, anyway?” Plutt interrogates. 

“Oh you know. Trying to help a ghost figure out why he’s cursed and who killed him,” Rey says, giving up completely. 

“Just say you were skiing and get on with it.”

“I wasn’t--“

“--Rey. Just say you were skiing.”

“Fine.”

“The appraiser that you said didn’t exist went yesterday. I need it sold by year end. You’ll be working twenty-four seven on this.”

“I need to go back,” she insists. 

“No. You don’t. You’re here and you’re working. That’s it.”

“I have to go back.”

“You won’t have a job if you do.”

“Fine,” Rey says and storms off. Done with the ridiculousness of every single one of Plutt’s requests. There were more important things in life, Rey realized. 

And Ben was the most important. 

“Rey!” Plutt yells but she ignores him. She heads down the elevator and back to her apartment, letting every call from Plutt and her co-workers go to voicemail. 

She packs up quickly and hits the road before she can second guess herself. 

**🎄🎄🎄**   
**Skywalker Inn**

Rey parks her car and jumps out of the car, leaving her things inside. It’s more critical to her that she finds Ben. She rushes in the inn and hears faint piano music. 

Ben’s hunched over at the piano, playing a sullen melody.

“Ben,” Rey announces herself. His fingers come to an abrupt stop. He turns to face her. 

“Any more ghost sightings?” Rey asks. 

“Only when I look in a mirror,” Ben jokes. 

“So you got the inn appraised,” Rey points out. 

“I did.”

“Why?”

“It’s what you wanted. It seemed important to you. I figured I owed you after all the grief I gave you.”

Rey rushes over and lands herself in his lap, her lips meeting his in a kiss. It’s passionate and sweet at the same time, a mesh of two people desperate for connection. Ben’s hand snakes under her shirt and Rey moans against his mouth. She leaps off of him when they hear the door and Satine calling for Ben. 

“Great,” Ben complains. 

“Be there in a minute,” Ben shouts. 

Rey giggles and kisses his neck. 

“Stop,” he says. 

“I missed you,” she admits. 

“I missed you too.”

“What does Satine want?” Rey wonders. 

“Probably help setting up for the dance tomorrow,” Ben says. 

“The dance?”

“Yes. I’ve told her she should have it here.”

“ _Oh_. I’m proud of you, Ben. Let’s go help,” Rey extends her hand to him and they head to the ballroom. 

Obi-Wan and Satine unload boxes. Rey stands in front of Ben who has one hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s right it should be here again. I’ve missed it. I’ve missed so many things. I shouldn’t have. Thank you for helping me,” Ben whispers. He looks down at her, his lips upturned in a warm smile. She turns around to look at him with pride, a hand on his chest. 

“Let’s get to work,” Rey says and starts assisting Obi-Wan and Satine. 

They dive into work and pour each other glasses of wine as they hang ornaments on trees and drape garland and holly. At one point, Rey wraps Ben in a string of garland and they can’t stop laughing enough to finish decorating for thirty minutes. 

Rey falls asleep next to Ben and she’s certain she’s never slept better with him by her side. 

🎄🎄🎄

Rey blots her lipstick and slips on a short bodycon red dress. 

“Ben?” Rey calls. 

“Yes, sweetheart?” Ben replies from down the hall. 

“Can you zip up my dress? We’re running behind as it is,” Rey requests. 

“Of course.”

Ben comes in the room and looks her up and down. 

“You look beautiful, Rey.”

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself. Hottest ghost I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure,” she teases. 

“Turn around,” he tells her. 

He zips her dress up slowly and then begins kissing the back of her neck. 

“Don’t mess up my hair,” Rey tsks. 

“I’d never dream of it,” he says, spinning her around and kissing her. 

“Ben, we’re already late,” Rey scolds. 

“We’ll have to make this quick then. Can you come quickly for me, Rey?” Ben asks while he holds one of her legs up and hikes up her skirt, pushing aside her underwear and beginning to finger her. He pumps his fingers in and out, curling them so Rey leans into him even more.

“Ben,” she moans. 

“Should we take this to the bed, Rey?”

“Don’t ruin my dress,” she insists. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it. You look too beautiful.”

He places her on the bed and buries his head between her legs. 

His tongue licks up and down and around her clit as he continues to fuck her with his fingers. He coaxes an orgasm out of her easily. Rey comes with a startled wail as Ben claps his hand over her mouth and reminds her to be quiet because there’s at least thirty people downstairs. 

“Be quiet, sweetheart. Can’t have everyone knowing I’m fucking you,” he says as he unbuttons his pants and centers himself over her. 

He glides his cock inside her and fucks her hard. There’s a need and urgency behind his thrusts that Rey can barely stand. She grasps at his back and neck and cries out as he fucks her. 

Ben comes with Rey’s name on his lips as quiet as he possibly could. Rey doesn’t want to leave this room, but she knows they have to. 

When they finally adjust their clothes and Rey touches up her make up, the party is in full swing. Rey smiles at Obi-Wan, who dances closely with Satine. She notices Ben flash Obi-Wan a subtle thumbs up. 

“Care to dance?” Ben asks. 

“Love to,” Rey responds. 

He twirls her and dips her before placing his hand on her hip. 

“Whoever buys this inn...I want to make sure there’s a clause they have to host this party every year.”

“Okay,” Rey says against his chest. “We need more time.” Her voice breaks. It’s barely a whisper. 

“We have the evening,” he reminds her. 

“I’m sorry I failed you.”

“You didn’t fail me, Rey. You could never. I’m among the living again and that’s all thanks to you,” he says. 

He lifts up her chin with his thumb and kisses her. 

Once he breaks the kiss, he spins her out and she breaks into a fit of laughter, a smile back on her face. 

After a few more drinks and sloppy kisses, the party dissipates and Ben sees Baz and Hux down the hall. 

Ben’s frozen for a moment as he notices Baz’s ghost across the room. He falls back in time as he remembers more of his death -- his friend Hux coming from behind, telling him he’s sorry but he has no choice. Snoke demands it. A rock striking his head. 

“Ben?” Rey drops his hand and moves in front of his face. 

“It was Hux. He has to be the other ghost,” Ben realizes. 

“Hux!” Ben shouts. Hux looks sheepish and runs. Baz waits for him and escorts him. He rushes off the empty dance floor and up the stairs. Rey follows him, out of breath.

“Ben,” Hux starts. 

“I forgive you, Hux. I don’t have a right to judge anyone. Not even you. I kept me here. And it turned out to be okay. It turned out to be a blessing, even,” Ben gestures to Rey. 

“Snoke didn’t give me a choice. He was going to kill me and my family if I didn’t. He thought you were too much of a liability.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry,” Hux cries. 

“I know, Hux. I forgive you. You can move on,” Ben tells him as he pulls Hux into a hug. Hux disappears and Ben watches him outside the window, disappearing on the property line. 

Rey wipes tears away from her face. 

“I thought if we found out what happened you’d move on,” Rey sniffles. 

“It’s okay, Rey,” Ben hugs her and cradles her against his chest. 

“I feel terrible because I’m not sorry. I’m selfish. It would have broken my heart if you were gone. You’re the only person I think I’ve ever even been capable of loving. I don’t want you to move on,” Rey confesses.

“I only have twelve days to offer, Rey.”

“That’s better than none. I don’t care, Ben.”

“Rey...”

“Are we supposed to pretend like we don’t feel this?” Rey asks rather fiercely. 

“I can’t,” he says, his voice cracking. 

He looks away from Rey, and notices the clock.

“It’s almost midnight,” he blurts out. 

“I know,” Rey says. 

“I’m sorry, Rey.”

“I’ll wait for you. Year after year. I promise,” Rey replies. 

He leads her to the bedroom and tucks her in one last time this year. 

Rey falls asleep with Ben’s hand laced with hers. He gently places her hand on her abdomen once he’s certain she’s asleep and leaves the room. 

When he makes his way downstairs, Baz waits for him. 

“I’m sorry,” she tells him. 

“I forgive you.”

“I know you do,” she replies with a smile.

“What are you still doing here?” Ben asks. 

Baz holds out her hand to him. He takes it. She walks him to the property line. 

“You can move on now. So can I,” she says. 

“I figured as much.”

“Let’s go,” she says. He drops her hand. 

“Go,” he tells her. 

“Are you coming?”

“Baz, go.”

“Okay,” she steps off the property line and dematerializes. Ben turns and walks away as the clock strikes midnight. 

🎄🎄🎄

Rey wakes up and a part of her wondered if Ben would be by her side, but the other side of the bed is cold and she forces herself not to cry as she makes her way downstairs and cooks herself breakfast. 

Her phone rings loudly and she notices it’s Plutt calling. She wants to decline it, but she answers it instead. 

“Rey, we’re sorry. I’m sorry. I treated you badly. You did a great job and you got the inn sold. You did everything I asked and you deserved a break.”

“What?”

“I said I’m sorry,” Plutt says. 

“No, the inn sold?” Rey clarifies. 

“To two people in town. Satine Kryze and Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he informs her. 

“What?”

“Do you know where the deed is?”

“I have to go,” Rey hangs up. 

“Obi-Wan?” Rey shouts, leaving the kitchen. 

“Yes?”

“You bought the inn?”

“We did.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“It felt right for me and Satine. And then we can know Ben is safe. My real goal was for Ben to be free.”

“Who knows, maybe he is,” Rey shrugs. 

“Have a good day, Rey. Drive safe back to Boston. I’m sure this isn’t the last time I’ll see you,” Obi-Wan says. 

“Thank you.”

Rey’s alone for the first time in weeks and she feels as unnerved as she did when she first arrived at Skywalker Inn. 

She stops in the foyer at the newspaper clipping and the picture of Ben. Her heart sinks and she gasps as the door swings open. She’s certain it can’t be a coincidence. She stumbles down the front steps and looks around the yard. 

From the furthest part of the yard next to the woods she notices someone walking toward her. 

He comes further and Rey realizes it’s Ben. She’s not certain she’s made it up in her head or not, but they start running toward each other. She jumps in his arms and wraps her legs around him. 

“Are you real?”

“Twelve days wasn’t enough. I want more. I’ve been given more. I want you, Rey.”

She kisses him like she’s never kissed anyone before, desperate to touch and feel every inch of him. 

“You can slow down, Rey. We have our whole lives.” He presses a kiss to her forehead and chuckles, letting her down as they walk hand in hand back to the inn.

**Author's Note:**

> comments & kudos appreciated as always! happy holidays friends. 
> 
> follow me on twitter  
> and check out some of my other smutty one shots you might be interested in:  
>  want you next to me — a smutty one shot (best friend’s sister/roommates)
> 
> control (to get what I want) — a CNC one shot
> 
> love me at the ungodly hour — an edging/orgasm delay fic


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